Hearts submits provisional list to CAF
Accra (Greater Accra) 11 January 2002 - After settling on Ghana’s final squad for this month’s Cup of Nations, the Black Stars handlers and Ghana Football Association (GFA) are still grappling with the thorny issue of who to captain the team to Mali.
A leadership vacuum was created in the team when deputy captain Samuel Osei Kuffuor turned down a request to step in that role after skipper Charles Akunnr was dropped from the provisional squad.
As at Thursday, a day before their departure, the issue had not been resolved with Goldfields Princeton Owusu-Ansah, Hearts of Oak’s Emmanuel Osei Kuffour and even the Bayern Munich star being considered to captain the team.
The Graphic Sports investigations revealed that officials of the FA and the Black Stars Management Committee were prevailing upon the deputy captain to rescind his decision, but Samuel Kuffour stuck to his guns and only left the door open.
As a result, Owusu-Ansah, who captained the Stars in their warm-up matches against the Basque Country XI and Egypt, came into strong consideration.
In the case of Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, who was only included in the final 22-man squad after Stephen Appiah was knocked out by injury, he is also in contention after captaining the Stars in the World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria in Accra and Port Harcourt. Until recently, he played the role of spokesman and acting captain of the team during their training camp.
The team handlers have remained mute on the issue as well as reports of a possible replacement of the team’s Welfare Officer Kudjoe Fianoo, who has been accused of leaking information to the press.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 January 2002 - The management of champion club, Accra Hearts of Oak, has expressed grave concern on the dropping of their ace player and the nation’s local best for 2001 season, Charles Taylor, from the nation’s contingent to the Cup of Nation’s tournament in 2002.
A release from the club signed by the club’s board secretary Ernest Thompson said, the injuries meted to Taylor, voted the nation’s ‘Most Valuable Player’ on the local front, by being dropped is just too much, if it is not a case of injury or extreme indiscipline. The statement suggested that Taylor could at least have been taken along to watch the tournament as was the case of Yaw Sakyi in an apparent reference to the Burkina Faso competition four years ago. Below is the full text from Hearts.
“There are times when as an official of a football club you cannot help but be drawn into the arena of conflict. Debarring injury or extreme acts of indiscipline, one cannot fathom the reason for dropping a treasured player like Charles Taylor.
Nobody can assume the role of the selector of players to the national team but we do have at least, a moral right, to comment on same. Even a cursory glance of the list of the midfielders by any astute follower of the of the game in Ghana and abroad, would reveal that Charles Taylor is at least a better offensive and even defensive midfielder than at least one of them.
To be blunt, our players have complained bitterly to us about the attitude of the coach to them. We spoke to them in Egypt and that was their major concern. I was directed by the Board Chairman to discuss the issue with the national coach. I called him (Mr Osam Duodu) and was supposed to meet him the morning of the day the final list was to be announced.
The idea was simply to find out whether our players had misconducted themselves. Fortunately, Mr Harry Zakkour was in my office that morning and he also called the Coach, who assured him that we should discard rumours about our players.
Definitely, nobody is requesting that all our players should be selected, but to drop Charles Taylor is certainly too much. I know Stephen Appiah would not make it, though I know it was not due to sheer injury as being propounded but other factors, but in the absence of Stephen, who apart from Charles Taylor has the same flair?
Charles Taylor has been dropped from the Under 23 because of the Black Stars only to be shattered without any official concrete excuse being given except general phrases like indiscipline or injury being rumoured about.
There comes a time we need to speak for these boys. At least we could take him along to watch the tournament. I remember vividly the case of Yaw Sakyi and others. Abedi Pele, I believe knows much about that particular African Cup.
The injuries meted to Charles Taylor is just too much, if it is not a case of injury or extreme indiscipline.”
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 January 2002 - in order not to be overtaken by events Champion club - Accra Hearts of Oak has already sent names of the following players to the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
The provisional list for the 2002 Champions League, which beat the deadline in December, included 4 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 6 midfielders and 10 attackers.
The list is however a provisional one as CAF allows of newly recruited players to be added with replacements or additions made to the list before a final deadline is slapped on registration.
With the domestic league registration yet to begin, players who would make the final local squad for the remaining 8 spaces would still have the chance to fight to make up the required number of 35 players.
The eminent departure of certain players to pursue professional careers abroad would also create spaces in the list to pave way for some players.
The list of registered players is as follows:
Goalkeepers:
Laud Quartey, Eben Dida, James Nanor, Sammy Adjei
Defenders:
Amankwah Mireku, Mohammed Hassan, Jacob Nettey, Dan Oppong, Stephen Tetteh, Agyeman Duah, Richard Nii Noi and Eric Djangmah.
Midfielders:
Adjah Tetteh, Charles Allotey, Francis Bossman, Abdul Razak, Massawudu Yahaya, Joe Ansah.
Attackers:
Awuley Quaye Jnr, Wisdom Abbey, Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, Ishmael Addo, Charles Taylor, Bernard Don Bortey, Kwame Antwi, Charles Benson, Laryea Kingston, Samuel Monie.
GRi…/
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